B    3 


SMITHSONIAN  MISCELLANEOUS  COLLECTIONS 

VOLUME  66,  NUMBER  4 


The  Ordaz  and  Dortal  Expeditions  in 

Search  of  El-Dorado,  as  Described 

on  Sixteenth  Century  Maps 


(WITH  Two  MAPS) 


BY 

RUDOLFJ5CHULLER 
Corresponding  Member,  Inst.  Hist,  e  Geogr.  do  Brazil,  etc. 


CITY  OF  WASHINGTON 

PUBLISHED  BY  THE  SMITHSONIAN  INSTITUTION 
APRIL,   1916 


SMITHSONIAN  MISCELLANEOUS  COLLECTIONS 

VOLUME  66,  NUMBER  4 


The  Ordaz  and  Dortal  Expeditions  in 

Search  of  El- Dorado,  as  Described 

on  Sixteenth  Century  Maps 


(WITH  Two  MAPS) 


RUDOLF  SCHULLER 

Corresponding  Member,  Inst.  Hist,  e  Geogr.  do  Brazil,  etc. 


DOCUMENTS  DEPARTMENT 
DEC  2  71961 

LIBRAKY 
UNtVERSJTY  OF  CAIIFOKNIA    • 


(PUBLICATION  2411) 


CITY  OF  WASHINGTON 

PUBLISHED  BY  THE  SMITHSONIAN  INSTITUTION 
APRIL,   1916 


(press 


BALTIMORE,   MD.,   U.   S. 


THE  ORDAZ  AND  DORTAL  EXPEDITIONS   IN   SEARCH 

OF  EL-DORADO,  AS  DESCRIBED  ON  SIXTEENTH 

CENTURY  MAPS 

BY  RUDOLF    SCHULLER 

(WITH  Two  MAPS) 
I.     OVIEDO'S  HUYAPARI  MAP 

In  the  second  volume  of  Oviedo's  "  Historia  General  y  Natural 
de  las  Indias,"  1  there  is  a  facsimile  of  a  small  map  illustrating  several 
early  explorations  of  the  Orinoco  or  Huyapari 2  River  (see  fig.  i). 

This  map  is  Oviedo's  own  work,3  and  is  plainly  drawn  but  bears  no 
date.  It  contains,  however,  various  historical  and  descriptive  legends, 
which  enable  us  to  establish  the  year  when  it  must  have  been  made. 


1  Madrid :     Imprenta  de  la  Real  Academia  de  la  Historia.     1852. 

"  No  doubt  the  names  Orinoco  and  Huyapari,  or  Juyapari  and  Oya-pari, 
are  of  Indian  origin ;  cf.  Oviedo,  II,  lib.  XXIV,  cap.  Ill,  p.  2i6a.  Orin-oco 
plainly  contains  the  Betoya  word  "oco"  ("water,"  "river").  Humboldt  says 
it  is  a  Tamanaco  word;  cf.,  for  example,  Oyap-oc(o),  Sinar-uco  (oco),  Guar- 
ico,  Orit-uco,  Tin-oco,  Guarit-oco,  Urit-uco,  and  many  other  similar  names 
of  rivers  in  the  great  Orinoco  basin. 

3  Loc.  cit.,  cap.  XV,  p.  26sb,  "  Porque  la  pintura  califica  mucho  y  dexa 
mejor  entender  las  cosas  de  la  geographia,  juntamente  con  la  verdadera  relation 
dellas,  quise  poncr  aqui  la  figjura  del  rio  de  Huyapari,  y  los  rios  que  en  el 
entrari."  "  Because  a  drawing  enables  us  to  understand  more  clearly  the 
geography  of  a  region  I  have  here  inserted  a  map." 

This  was  written  at  the  close  of  the  year  1541,  or,  perhaps,  in  1542;  cf. 
loc.  cit.,  cap.  XVI ;  and  cap.  XV,  where  Oviedo  states  explicitly :  "  The 
governor  Dortal  himself  told  me  .  ..."  [and  a  few  lines  below]  "  where  six 
years  ago  this  governor  had  ordered  his  lieutenant,  Alonso  de  Herrera,  with 
200  men  ....  to  sail  up  the  river  Huyapari." 

See  also,."  Historia  coro-graphica,  natural  y  evangelica  de  la  Nueva  Anda- 
lucia,  provincias  de  Cumana,  Guayana  y  Vertientes  del  Rio  Orinoco ;  dedicada 
al  Rei  N.  S.  D.  Carlos  III."  For  el  M.  R.  P.  fr.  Antonio  Caulin  dos  vezes 
Provincial  de  los  observantes  de  Granada,  etc.,  Madrid,  1779,  p.  i5Ob. 

SMITHSONIAN  MISCELLANEOUS  COLLECTIONS,  VOL.  66,  No.  4 


139 


SMITHSONIAN    MISCELLANEOUS    COLLECTIONS  VOL.    66 


NO.  4  THE   ORDAZ   AND   DORTAL    EXPEDITIONS SCHULLER  3 

Two  of  these  inscriptions  refer  to  the  exploring  expedition  of  the 
famous  conqueror  Diego  de  Ordaz  1  which  set  out  from  Paria  on 
June  23,  1532.  With  280  men,  18  horses,  and  one  mule  he  arrived 
at  the  Indian  village  of  Huyapari.2 

The  first  legend,  on  the  right  of  the  Indian  village  depicted  on  the 
map,  runs  thus:  "El  pueblo  grande  de  huyapari  E'a  dos  leguas  a 
tierra  adentro  q(ue)  do  En  seco  la  canoa  gra(n)de  de  ordas  "  ("  The 
large  village  of  Huyapari  is  situated  two  leagues  inland  from  the 
Orinoco  River  " — to  which  Oviedo  added  mention  of  the  accident  to 
Ordaz's  large  canoe  after  his  return  from  the  expedition  in  search 
of  the  Meta-El  Dorado  3 — "  Ordaz's  large  canoe  remained  [here]  on 
dry  [land]  "). 

The  second  legend,  above  the  mountains  in  the  upper  right-hand 
part  of  the  map,  reads :  "  Esta  sierra  no  la  pudo  pasar  ordas  por  El 
foE  yndisposicion  del  agua  E  se  torno  por  El  mismo  rio  abajo  a  la 
mar  desde  aquesta  montafia."  ("  Ordaz  could  not  pass  this  chain  of 
mountains  4  [by  the  river,  on  account  of]  the  bad  condition  of  the 
water 5  and  from  this  mountain  he  returned  down  the  same  river  to 
the  sea.") 

And,  to  the  west  of  the  mountains  on  the  map,  we  read :  "  A  Esta 
parte  o  del  otro  cabo  desta  pena  no  an  pasado  xpianos  "  ("  To  this 
side,  or  the  other  end  of  this  rock,  Christians  had  not  [yet]  come  ") . 

These  two  inscriptions  unquestionably  refer  to  the  disastrous 
expedition  up  the  River  Orinoco  to  the  "  rapids,"  near  the  mouth 
of  the  Meta,  undertaken  by  Ordaz  in  the  second  half  of  the  year 
1532,  and  this  evidently  led  Harrisse8  to  believe  that  the  map  was 


1  Native  of   Castro  Verde  in  the   Kingdom  of   Leon.     Herrera :    Historia 
General,  etc.,  Madrid,  1601,  Dec.  IV,  libro  X,  cap.  IX,  p.  275.     We  see  him 
as  early  as  1515  in  Cuba;    cf.  "  Probanza  hecha  a  peticion  del  almirante  D. 
Diego   Colon."  etc.     Villa  de   San   Salvador,   Febrero   16,    1515 ;   in   "  Colecc. 
Docs.  Ineditos  "  ["  De  los  Pleitos  de  Colon,"  II],  2d  serie,  T.  num.  8.    Madrid, 
1894,  pp.  61-87. 

Herrera:  Dec.  II,  libro  VI,  cap.  XVIII,  ".  .  .  .  i  que  Diego  de  Ordas 
reconocio  el  Bolcan  de  Tlascala  [Popocatepetl],  cosa  para  los  Indies  mui 
admirable"  (edit,  of  1726)  ("....  and  that  Diego  de  Ordas  explored  the 
Tlascala  volcano,  a  feat  greatly  admired  by  the  Indians"). 

2  Properly  termed  Aruacay,  according  to  Oviedo,  loc.  cit. 
8  Oviedo,  loc.  cit.,  pp.  217-218;  especially  p.  2i8b. 

4  It  means  that  they  could  not  overcome  the  powerful  and  rapid  currents 
produced  by  the  narrowing  of  the  river-bed  between  the  mountains. 

5  The  low  level  during  July  and  August. 

1 "  Cartographia  Vetustissima,"  No.  200  (sic),  instead  of  202;  in  "Dis 
covery  of  North  America,"  etc.,  London,  1892,  pp.  588-589. 


4  SMITHSONIAN    MISCELLANEOUS    COLLECTIONS  VOL.    66 

made  in  that  same  year.  But  it  can  easily  be  shown  that  this  date  is 
irreconcilable  with  all  known  historical  events. 

Above  all,  I  would  observe  that  the  author  of  the  sketch-map  could 
not  have  learned  all  those  details  of  Ordaz's  eventful  exploring 
expedition  before  early  in  the  spring  of  1533,  as  it  was  not  until  that 
time  that  Oviedo  met  at  Santo  Domingo  Geronimo  Dortal,  the  treas 
urer,  and  several  other  members  of  the  Ordaz  expedition,  from  whom, 
according  to  his  own  statement,1  he  obtained  information  concerning 
the  vain  attempt  to  reach  the  Meta-El  Dorado.  Therefore,  even  if 
the  map  bore  no  further  indication  as  to  the  time  when  it  was  made 
by  Oviedo,  the  only  acceptable  date,  from  this  fact  alone,  would  be 
the  year  1533.' 

Fortunately,  however,  there  are  other  legends  on  the  map  relating 
to  several  expeditions  up  the  River  Orinoco  after  the  ill-fated  voyage 
by  Ordaz,  which  prove  that  Oviedo's  map  must  have  been  made  ten 
or  twelve  years  after  the  date  suggested  by  Harrisse,  the  foremost 
authority  on  American  cartography. 

Students  of  early  American  history  cannot  help  wondering  how  it 
was  possible  that  Harrisse  took  no  notice  at  all  of  the  inscriptions 
connected  with  the  expeditions  of  Alonso  de  Herrera  and  Governor  3 
Geronimo  Dortal,  the  former  treasurer  of  Ordaz's  enterprise. 

After  the  unsuccessful  attempt  to  discover  the  long  sought  Meta- 
El  Dorado  by  sailing  up  the  Orinoco,  Ordaz  was  compelled  to  leave 
the  village  of  Huyapari  for  Cariaco,  where  he  established  a  small 
fort,4  whieh  he  named  Sant  Miguel  de  Paria.  Thence  he  went  to 
Cumana,  a  province  on  the  mainland  opposite  the  pearl  island,  or 
"  Cubagua,"  where  he  expected  to  meet  Herrera,  his  lieutenant,  with 
the  rest  of  the  expedition.  Finally  Ordaz  and  Dortal  reached  the 
town  of  Nueva  Caliz  in  Cubagua,  where  they  found  Alonso  de 


1  Loc.  cit.,  cap.  IV,  p.  224^,  "  Despues  vino  a  esta  cibdad  de  S.  Domingo  el 
thesorero  Hieronimo  Dortal,  del  qual  y  de  otros  que  en  todo  lo  que  es  dicho 
se  hallaron  fui  informado  .  .  .  ."   ("Afterwards  came  to  this  city  of  Santo 
Domingo  the  treasurer  Heronimo  Dortal,  by  whom,  and  by  others  who  were 
present  at  all  that  is  said,  I  was  informed  .  .  .  ."). 

2  This  assertion  is  corroborated  also  by  the  following  statement :    "  .  .  .  . 
cansados   [companions  of  Ordaz]   de  sus  trabaxos  se  passaron  con  los  otros 
de    Cubagua,    porque   avia    dos    anos    que    padescjan    desde    que    salieron    de 
Espafia  .  .  .  ."    ("....  Tired  of  these  troubles,  they  went  with  these  others 
of    Cubagua,    because    two   years    of    suffering    had    passed    since    they    left 
Spain  .  .  .  .").    Loc.  cit. 

Ordaz  set  sail  from  San  Lucar  de  Barrameda  on  October  20,  1531  ;  loc.  cit., 
cap.  II,  p.  2i2a. 

3  Only  after  1533. 

4  Perhaps  on  September  28,  1532. 


NO.  4  THE    ORDAZ    AND    DORTAL    EXPEDITIONS SCHULLER  5 

Herrera  imprisoned  by  order  of  Governor  Antonio  Sedefio.  The 
same  fate  met  Dortal,  and  Ordaz,  weak  in  health,  weary  and  power 
less,  sailed  in  May,  1533,  for  Santo  Domingo  and  thence  to  Spain, 
where  he  intended  to  protest  at  court  against  Sedeno's  illegal  inter 
ference  with  the  projected  settlement  on  the  coast  of  Cumana,  which 
Sedeno  arbitrarily  claimed  was  within  his  jurisdiction.  Ordaz  died 
during  the  voyage  across  the  ocean.1 

Geronimo  Dortal,  after  being  released  from  prison,  addressed  a 
letter  to  the  Emperor,  "  giving  him  an  account  of  his  services  ren 
dered  in  the  government  of  Cubagua  and  asking  him  for  mercy.'' : 

Early  in  the  summer  of  1533  Dortal  was  in  the  town  of  Santo 
Domingo,  where  he  met  Oviedo  ;  and  in  the  following  autumn  he  was 
in  Spain  "  asking  for  the  same  position  formerly  held  by  Ordaz."  ' 
That  he  was  most  successful  in  his  "  claim,"  is  proved  by  the  letters 
patent  entered  into  between  him  and  the  Crown,  on  October  25, 
I533-4  By  virtue  of  this  land-grant,  or  "capitulation,"  he  was 
appointed  governor  of  Paria.  Early  in  1534  he  organized  the  new 
expedition,  and  on  August  18,  1534,'  set  sail  from  San  Lucar  de 
Barrameda.  In  the  autumn  of  the  same  year  he  was  again  in  Paria. 

Alonso  de  Herrera,  after  his  release  from  prison  by  order  of  the 
royal  Audiencia  of  Santo  Domingo,  was  in  charge  of  the  fort  of  San 
Miguel  of  Paria,  and  immediately  recognized  Dortal  as  governor  and 
superior,  notwithstanding  his  solemn  pledge  of  faith  to  Antonio 
Sedeno.  ° 

Shortly  after  his  arrival,  Dortal  equipped  a  new  expedition  for 
the  purpose  of  searching  for  the  famous  Meta-El  Dorado,  under  the 


1  Oviedo,  cap.  IV,  p.  224" — Herrera,  Dec.  V,  libro  I,  cap.  XI,  p.  24  (ed.  of 
1728),  ".  .  .  .  and  other  people  said  he  died  in  Castile  .  .  .  ." 

2  Dated   from  the  pearl  island    (Cubagua),  January  28,   1533;    in  "  Colecc. 
Docs.  Ineditos,"  Tomo  XII.    Madrid,  1869,  pp.  46-48. 

A  further  proof  that  Oviedo  could  not  have  learned  before  February,  1533, 
what  happened  to  the  expedition. 

3  Oviedo,  loc.  cit. 

4  Archivo  General  de  Indias,  139-1-2,  Tomo  III0,  ff.  59-61  r. 

5  Oviedo,  at  that  time  also  in  Spain,  met  him  again  in  Seville,  cf.  loc.  cit., 
cap.  VII,  p.  236%  "  .  .  .  .  yba  por  procurador  desta  nuestra  cibdad  de  Sancto 
Domingo  y   desta   Isla   Espanola  .  .  .  ."    ("I  have  been  there  as   procurator 
cf  this  our  city  of  Santo  Domingo  and  of  this  island  of  Hispaniola  "). 

6 ".  .  .  .  con  quien  quedo  congertado  en  Cubagua,  ....  porque  le  prometio 
de  la  hazer  alcayde  de  la  fortalec.a  que  avia  de  hager  en  la  isla  de  la  Trinidad 
.  .  .  ."  ("....  with  him  he  had  made  arrangements  ....  because  he  prom 
ised  to  appoint  him  alcaide  of  the  fort  which  he  intended  to  establish  on  the 
island  of  Trinidad").  Oviedo,  loc.  cit.,  p.  232". 


6  SMITHSONIAN    MISCELLANEOUS    COLLECTIONS  VOL.    66 

command  of  the  intrepid  but  unscrupulous  Alonso  de  Herrera.  The 
itinerary  of  Herrera's  ill-fated  voyage  is  described  on  Oviedo's  map 
as  follows : 

"  Este  Es  vn  estero  por  donde  entro  alonso  de  herrera  El  qual 
Entra  En  Elrio  de  Huyapari  E  hazenle  Estos  rios  q(ue)s  dicho." 
("This  is  a  swamp  where  Alonso  de  Herrera  entered  and* which 
empties  into  the  River  Huyapari ;  it  is  formed  by  the  aforesaid 

rivers.")1 

Further,  in  the  angle  formed  by  the  Huyapari  and  Carranaca 
rivers,  we  read :  "  Rio  de  carranaca  por  El  qual  Entro  alonso  de 
herrera"  E  passo  adelante  E  deste(  !)  Este  rio  hasta  El  estero  de 
Meta  por  El  grande  huyapari  ay  XXXVII  leguas  "  ("  River  Carra 
naca  where  Alonso  de  Herrera  entered  and  went  farther  on  and 
from  this  river  to  the  Meta  swamps,  up  the  great  river  Huyapari,  it  is 
37  leagues").3 

Facing  the  mouth  of  the  swamp  there  is  the  following  legend: 
"  Rio  de  meta  por  donde  Entro  alonso  de  herrera  con  la  armada  de 
geromi  '(sic)  no(  !)  dortal  E  le  mata  ron  "  ("River  Meta,  where 
Alonso  de  Herrera  entered  with  the  fleet  of  Geronimo  Dortal ;  and 
they  killed  him").4 

Finally,  the  last  legend  to  be  considered  in  connection  with  this 
disastrous  exploring  expedition  appears  at  the  left  of  the  Tinoco 
River  on  the  map.  The  legend  reads:  "  Aqui  mataro[n]  a  al°  de 
herrera  5  teniente  del  gouor  dortal  y  has  ta  aqui  llego  despues  El  dicho 
dortal  y  hallo  yndicios  veros  de  la  muerte  del  dicho  he  rera  E  se  hallo 

1  The  affluents  are  as  follows  :   "  R.  de  tinoco,  R.  de  Nirua,  R.  de  pao,  R.  dela 
portuguesa,  Rio  vininio,  R.  gunaguanari. 

2  The  elegia  IX,  canto  I,  of  Juan  de  Castellanos'  "  Elegias  de  varones  ilustres 
de    Indias,"    does    not   at    all    refer   to    Herrera's    expedition   in    1535,    as    is 
erroneously    asserted    by    the    untrustworthy    Chilean    writer    Jose    Torfbio 
Medina,  "  Notas  "  to  "  El  Descubrimiento  del  rio  de  las  Amazonas,"  pp.  273-274. 

3 Oviedo,  II,  cap.  IX,  p.  245",  'from  the  Gulf  of  Paria  to  the  village  of 
Caburutu,  150  leagues;  from  San  Miguel  de  Neveri,  a  small  town  founded 
by  Dortal  in  1536,  on  the  coast  of  Maracapana,  to  the  said  village,  40  leagues ; 
and  from  San  Miguel  to  the  mouth  of  the  river  Huyapari,  120  leagues  of 
sea-coast." 

4  Loc.  cit,  libro  XXIV,  cap.  VII,  p.  240". 

Medina,  1.  c.,  settles  the  matter  in  a  very  summary  manner,  saying  flatly: 
"  Verificada  en  1535,  fue  dirigida  a  las  regiones  que  se  extienden  al  norte 
del  Amazonas"  (sic  !  !)  ("Organized  in  1535,  [the  expedition]  was  directed 
to  the  regions  situated  to  the  north  of  the  Amazon  River"). 

6  He  was  wounded  with  a  poisoned  arrow,  cf .  loc.  cit.,  and  see  p.  247°,  where 
is  given  a  detailed  account  of  the  preparation  of  urari,  or  curari,  by  the  Carib 
Indians. 


NO.  4  THE    ORDAZ    AND    DORTAL    EXPEDITIONS SCHULLER  7 

vna  cam  panilla  E  otras  cosas  E  vn  jarro  de  estano  "  ("  Here  they 
killed  Alonso  de  Herrera,  lieutenant  of  Governor  Dortal ;  and  to  this 
place  came  afterwards  the  said  Dortal  and  found  true  marks  of  the 
death  of  the  aforesaid  Herrera ;  and  there  were  found  among  other 
things,  a  little  bell  and  a  tin-cup  ").* 

This  legend,  of  course,  refers,  as  will  be  shown  later,  to  two 
chronologically  distinct  expeditions  into  the  interior  of  the  country. 

In  1536,  about  a  year  after  Herrera's  death,  Governor  Dortal 
organized  a  second  exploring  expedition,2  in  the  course  of  which  he 
discovered  the  domain  of  the  female  cacique  Orocomay,  an  inde 
pendent  community  of  Indian  women,  similar  to  those  described  by 
Father  Caspar  de  Carvaxal  in  the  narrative  of  the  discovery  of  the 
River  Amazonas  by  Francisco  de  Orellana  in  I542.3 

This  social  phenomenon,  not  always  correctly  interpreted  by 
writers,4  has  not  yet  been  observed  in  South  America,  but  in  the 
"  Kulturkreis  "  of  the  Carib-aruaque. 

The  domain  of  Queen  Orocomay  is  located  on  Oviedo's  map 
between  the  Huyapari  and  the  Barrancas,  an  affluent  of  the  Carra- 
naca  River,  and  is  given  the  following  legend:  "  P[or]  aqui  Estan 
los  pueblo  [s]  E  sefiorio  de  la  Reyna  (  !)  orocomay  la  qual  no  se 
sirue 5  sino  de  mugeres  "  ("Here  are  the  villages  and  domain  of 
Queen  Orocomay,  who  employs  only  females").6 

During  this  voyage  Dortal  had  to  contend  with  a  mutiny  led  by 
Alderete  and  Aguilar,  two  of  his  officers ;  and  he  was  finally  com 
pelled  to  return  to  the  coast,  where  a  new  danger  threatened  him.7 

1  Oviedo,  loc.  cit. 

2"Y  segund  el  mismo  Hieronimo  Dortal  me  dixo  .  .  .  ."  ("....  and 
according  to  what  I  was  told  by  H.  Dortal  himself  .  .  .  ."),  loc.  cit.;  cap.  X, 
p.  247a. 

3 "  Descubrimiento  del  Rio  de  las  Amazonas,  segun  la  relacion  hasta  ahora 
inedita,"  etc.,  de  Fray  Caspar  de  Carbajal.  Sevilla,  MDCCCXCIV,  pp.  66-67. 

4  "  Zur  sudamerikanischen  Amazonensage."    Von  Dr.  R.  Lasch ;   in  "  Mitteil. 
der  K.  u.  K.  Geogr.  Gesellsch.  in  Wien."     190,  pp.  278-289.     Dr.  G.  Friederici 
"  Die  Amazonen  Amerikas."     Leipzig,  1910. 

5  The  verb  has  in  this  combination  a  double  meaning. 
c  Oviedo,  II,  libro  XXIV,  cap.  X,  p.  247". 

"El  mismo  ano  [I5J36,  venido  Ortal  a  quejarse  de  los  suyos  que  se  le 
alzaron,  e  de  170  leguas  tierra  adentro  le  mandaron  con  los  oficiales  Reales 
a  la  costa  de  la  mar  .  .  .  ."  ("The  same  year,  1536,  Ortal  came  to  complain 
about  his  men  who  had  revolted  against  him  and  obliged  him,  together  with 
the  Royal  officers,  to  return  170  leagues  from  inland  to  the  coast")  ;  cf.  "A 
la  Sacra  Real  Magestad  del  Emperador  nuestro  Sefior,  los  oidores  de  su  Real 
Audiencia  de  Santo  Domingo  a  31  de  Diciembre  de  1538,"  in  "  Coleccion  de 
Docs.  Ineditos."  Tomo  I.  Madrid,  1864,  p.  553.  *» 


8  SMITHSONIAN    MISCELLANEOUS    COLLECTIONS  VOL.    66 

Antonio  Sedeno,  as  we  have  already  seen,  hostile  ever  since  the 
time  of  Ordaz  to  any  attempt  at  colonizing  on  the  opposite  shores  of 
the  mainland,  had  unexpectedly  landed  on  the  coast  of  Maracapana, 
with  the  unmistakable  intention  of  seizing  Dortal,  his  hated  rival. 
Dortal,  however,  having  been  informed  in  time,  by  some  friends,  of 
Sedeiio's  presence  at  the  town  of  San  Miguel,  fled  to  Cubagua ;  and 
shortly  after  to  Santo  Domingo,  where  he  notified  the  "  Audiencia  " 
of  the  armed  invasion  of  that  peaceful  colony.  The  Royal  Court 
ordered  him,  accompanied  by  Johan  de  Frias,  "  juez  de  comision," 
to  return  to  his  settlement,  November,  I536.1 

Sedeno  died  in  the  meantime  near  the  River  Tiznados.2 

At  the  beginning  of  the  year  1540,  Dortal  led  his  second  recon- 
noitering  expedition  into  the  interior  of  Venezuela. s 

The  two  legends  relating  to  his  last  expedition  are  as  follows : 
"  De  aqui  partio  El  gouor  hieronimo  dortal  E  atra  ueso  todos  Estos 
rios  hasta  q[ue]  llego  al  rio  grande  de  huyapari  E  fue  adonde 
mataron  a  alonso  de  herrera  su  teniente  al  qual  El  avia  Enviado  por 
El  rio  de  Huyapari  y  fue  Entre  El  estero  de  garranaca  y  Meta  y  se 
voluio  a  la  mar  "  ("  From  here  Governor  H.  Dortal  started  and 
crossed  all  these  rivers  until  he  reached  the  great  river  Huyapari  ;  and 
he  went  to  the  place  where  A.  de  Herrera,  his  lieutenant,  was  killed, 
whom  he  had  ordered  [to  go  |  by  the  river  Huyapari ;  and  it  hap 
pened  [Herrera's  death]  between  the  swamp  of  (Jarranaca  and  Meta  ; 
and  he  (Dortal)  returned  to  the  sea  "). 

The  second  inscription  relates  the  capture  of  Juan  de  Arguello. 
one  of  the  principal  instigators  of  the  above  mentioned  seditious 
movement  against  Dortal.  It  reads :  "  Junto  a  este  rio  En  el  pueblo 
de  Catalina  prendio  geronimo  dortal  a  Jua  de  arguello  E  lo  hizo 
ahorcar  por  sus  meritos  "  ("  Near  that  river  (the  Guarico),  in  the 
village  of  Catalina,  G.  Dortal  seized  Juan  de  Arguello,  and  had  him 
hanged  according  to  his  merits  "). 


1  Oviedo,  II,  libro  XXIV,  cap.  X,  p.  249" ;  and  cap.  XII,  p.  253  ss ;  cap.  XIII. 
p.  259a.  ".  .  .  .  Dortal  ....  me  certifico  en  presengia  de  algunos  hombres 
prengipales  .  .  .  ."  ("  Dortal  ....  told  me  in  the  presence  of  some  leading 
men  .  .  .  ."). 

-  Caulin,  op.  cit,  p.  159.  Rio  de  los  Tiznados  means  :  "  river  where  they 
found  tattooed  Indians." — Carbajal,  p.  70 — "they  came  painted  black  all  over 
(tiznados),  for  this  reason  we  called  that  place  province  of  the  negroes." 

3  Oviedo,  cap.  XIV,  p.  262**  ".  ...  en  el  mes  de  junio  de  1541,  avia  mas 
de  un  ano  que  no  se  sabia  del  gobernador  Dortal"  (".  ...  in  June,  1541,  it 
was  more  than  a  year  since  they  had  had  news  of  Governor  Dortal"). 


NO.  4  THE   ORDAZ    AND   DORTAL    EXPEDITIONS SCHULLER  9 

This  act  of  summary  justice,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  Argiiello 
was  a  notorious  thief,1  was,  however,  considered  as  exceeding  the 
power  of  the  governor,  and  Dortal  was  dismissed  shortly  afterward. 
He  married  in  the  town  of  Santo  Domingo  in  1546." 

Finally,  special  mention  should  be  made  of  the  inscription  concern 
ing  El-Dorado,  which  is,  of  course,  also  on  Oviedo's  map,  connected 
with  the  Inca  Empire :  "  Detras  destas  sierras  d[e]l  Rio  de  Huyapari 
Esta[n]  muy  grandes  llanos  lo  qual  se  tiene  por  gierto  q[ue]s  la 
tierra  del  peru  E  los  yndios  dizen  q[ue]  detras  destas  sierras  ay 
grandes  Riquezas.  E  mucho  oro  "  ("  Beyond  these  chains  of  moun 
tains  of  the  river  Huyapari,  there  are  vast  plains  which  are  believed 
to  be  the  land  of  Peru,  and  the  Indians  say  that  beyond  these  chains 
of  mountains  there  are  great  treasures,  and  much  gold  "). 

The  influence  of  El-Dorado  3  and  other  similar  traditions  of  genuine 
Indian  origin,4  on  the  cartography  of  South  America  during  the 
second  half  of  the  sixteenth  century,  has  not  yet  been  studied  with 
the  care  and  attention  which  such  an  important  historical  and  geo 
graphical  question  deserves.5 

On  the  map,  generally  ascribed  to  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,6  and  made 
about  1595,'  we  can  see  El-Dorado,  Epuremei,8  and  that  wonder-city 
of  Great-Manoa  placed  in  the  very  vicinity  of  the  legendary  "  Lake 


1  Loc.  cit.,  p.  263. 

2  Loc.  cit.,  cap.  XVI. 

3  Synonymous  with  which  are  :  Machifaro,  or  Machipalo ;  Epuremei,  Eupana, 
La  gran  ciudad  de  la  Manoa,  which  presumably  gave  origin  to  the  legend 
of  the  lost  Inca  cities  somewhere  in  the  virgin  forests  beyond  the  Andes. 

4  Notwithstanding  the  corrupt  and  often  exaggerated  form  in  which  most  of 
these  traditions  came  to  us,  the  principal  elements  are,  after  all,  more  or  less 
identical  in  the  different  versions. 

5  A  special  chapter  will  be  reserved  for  this  most  interesting  question  in  my 
work  on  the  "  Origin  and  Development  of  the  Early  Cartography  of  America." 

"Reproduced  by  Paul  Vidal  de  la  Blache,   "La  Riviere  Vincent   Pinzon," 
Paris,   1902. 

7  The  map  mentioned  in  the  "  officio  "  of  the  Duque  is  Raleigh's  chart,  but 
not   that   of   capitao   Andre    Pereira,   as    is    erroneously   believed   by   several 
Brazilian  historians ;  cf.  "  Annales  da  Bibl.  Nac.  do  Rio  de  Janeiro,"  Vol.  26. 
Rio  de  Janeiro,  1905  ;  "  Documentos  para  a  historia  da  Conquista  e  Colonisagao 
da  costa  de  leste — oeste  do  Brazil"  (separate),  pp.  179-183. 

8  Very  often  named  also  Evpana ;   cf.  the  planisphere  of  Bartholomeu  Velho, 
1561,  on  parchment,  4  sheets.     Florence,  Reale  Institute  de  Bellas  Artes.    Re 
produced  by  Barao  de   Rio  Branco   (Jose  da  Silva   Paranhos),  "  Frontieres 
entre  le  Bresil  et  la  Guyane  Franchise."    "  Atlas/'    Paris,  Lahure,  1900,  No.  14. 


IO  SMITHSONIAN    MISCELLANEOUS    COLLECTIONS  VOL.    66 

of  Manoa."  The  latter  is  undoubtedly  identical  with  the  mythological 
"  Lake  of  Parima  "  J  in  the  Carib-aruaque  traditions. 

Notwithstanding  its  roughly  sketched  character,  Oviedo's  map  of 
the  Huyapari  River  is  a  very  important  historical  document,  which, 
for  that  early  time,  shows  fairly  exact  knowledge  of  the  hydrographic 
conditions  in  the  interior  of  the  present  Republic  of  Venezuela,  espe 
cially  in  the  western  region,  between  longitude  67°  and  69°.  Most  of 
the  names  given  to  rivers  and  places  on  his  map  are  still  in  use, 
particularly  those  along  the  coast,  and  also  the  names  given  to  the 
islands  by  the  first  discoverers  between  1498  and  I5oo.2 

In  conclusion,  there  can  be  not  the  slightest  doubt,  I  believe,  that 
Oviedo's  Huyapari  map  was  drawn  after  1542. 

II.    THE  SPANISH  ANONYMOUS  MAP,  ABOUT  1560 

The  map  shown  in  figure  2  was  first  reproduced  in  facsimile  by  the 
editor  of  the  "  Cartas  de  Indias,"  with  the  following  title :  "  Mapa  de 
los  rios  Amazonas,  Esequibo  6  Dulce  y  Orinoco  y  de  las  comarcas 
adyacentes  "  ("Map  of  the  rivers  Amazon,  Esequibo  or  'Dulce' 
(sweet  water  river)  and  Orinoco;  and  the  adjoining  parts  ").  We 
need  not  take  up  the  question  as  to  whether  or  not  it  is  reproduced 
in  the  original  size  or  whether  the  original  contains  the  title  given 
above. 

The  map  bears  neither  name  of  the  author  nor  date.  Judging  from 
the  handwriting  and  from  some  of  the  inscriptions  relating  to  differ 
ent  historical  events,  it  was  doubtless  made  in  the  second  half  of  the 
sixteenth  century.  And  therefore,  I  think,  the  year  1560,  ascribed 
to  the  map  by  the  editors  of  the  "  British  Guyana  Boundary  Arbitra 
tion,"  3  was  accepted  also  by  the  learned  Brazilian  historians  Barao 
de  Rio  Branco  4  and  Dr.  Joaquim  Nabuco.5 

1  The  great  Paro,  meaning  a  powerful  Indian  chief,  and  sometimes  "  great 
river,"  or  "  lake,"  also  plays  an  important  part  in  the  Indian  traditions  of 
Northwestern  Bolivia  and  Eastern  Peru ;  and  it  is,  of  course,  etymologically, 
related  to  Pan- (i) ma;  Huya-pari,  Machi-paro,  and  others. 

Ima,  or  ema,  in  Aruaque  signifies  "  mouth  of  a  river " ;  cf.  Abur-ema 
(Chiriqui)  discovered  by  Columbus  on  his  fourth  voyage  (1502-1504). 

A  river  termed  Aburema  is  mentioned  also  by  Henri  Coudreau  "  La  France 
Equinoxiale,"  etc.  II.  Paris,  1887,  p.  63. 

2  Third  voyage  of  Columbus,  1498. 

First  voyage  of  Hojeda  (-Cosa-Vespucci),  1499-1500. 
First  voyage  of  Guerra-Peralonso  Nino,  1499-1500. 

3  "  Venezuela."     Baltimore,  1898.     Atlas,  No.  76. 
4Loc.  cit.,  No.  13. 

5 "  Frontieres  entre  le  Bresil  et  la  Guyane  Anglaise."  "  Atlas."  Paris, 
1903,  No.  4. 


NO.  4  THE    ORDAZ    AND   DORTAL    EXPEDITIONS SCHULLER  II 


12  SMITHSONIAN    MISCELLANEOUS    COLLECTIONS  VOL.    66 

The  author,  surely  a  Spanish  professional  chart-maker,  used  for 
the  compilation  of  the  map,  at  lea%t  as  far  as  concerned  the  rivers 
Esequibo  and  Orinoco,  data  which  he  must  either  have  obtained 
direct  from  explorers  of  these  rivers,  or  else  he  may  have  simply 
copied  an  original  chart  to  which,  presumably,  he  afterwards  added 
several  of  the  inscriptions. 

The  fancy  representation  of  the  course  of  the  Amazon  River,  on 
the  contrary,  was,  ostensibly,  depicted  from  one  of  the  numerous 
derivatives  of  the  Sebastian  Cabot  Mappa  Mundi  of  1544.* 

Two  of  the  legends  relate  to  the  Ordaz  expedition  in  1532.  The 
first  is  placed,  approximately,  in  the  region  which  on  Oviedo's  map 
is  occupied  by  the  Indian  village  Huyapari,  and  runs  as  follows : 
"  esto  q[ue]  mo  Ordas.  ario.  1536  "  ("  This  was  burned  [by  order  of] 
Ordaz  in  1536  ").  This  refers  to  that  shameless  outrage  committed 
by  Ordaz  before  he  started  up  the  Orinoco,  in  the  village  of  the 
Indian  chief  Baratu-baro.2  For  some  trifling  reason  the  cruel  dis 
coverer  ordered  the  village  to  be  burned,  and  over  120  of  the  defence 
less  Indians  perished  in  the  flames.3 

The  second  legend,  at  the  foot  of  the  chain  of  mountains  in  the 
interior,  and  to  the  left  of  the  rapids,  where  Ordaz  was  compelled 
to  abandon  his  project,  reads :  "  Aqui  llego  ordas  co[n]  sus  naujos  y 
no  pudo  passar  por  vn  salto  q[ue]  el  rio  haze  e[n]  la  sierra  y  volujose 
ano  1536"  murio  en  la  mar  camjno  de  Castilla ''  ("Ordaz  reached 
this  place  with  his  vessels  and  was  unable  to  sail  farther,  on  account 
of  a  fall  formed  by  the  river  in  the  mountains,  and  he  returned,  1536. 
He  died  at  sea  on  the  voyage  to  Castille  "). 

That  the  dates  of  the  historical  events  are  the  chart-maker's  weak 
point,  can  be  seen  also  in  the  following  inscription  which  refers  to 
Orellana's  memorable  voyage  down  the  Amazon  River  in  1 542 : 
"  Aiio  de  I5464  baxo  este  rio  abaxo  Orillana.  mas  q[ue]  mjll  leguas 
y  fue  a  esparia  y  bolujo  co[n]  la  gouernacio[n]  do[n]de  se  p|er]  dio 
co[n]  todos  los  qu[e]  co[n]  el  yua[n]  por  entrar  por  el  rio  a  riba(  !) 
q[ue]  es  gra[n]  parte  anegadizos  e  auja  salido  este  del  peru  cofn] 


1  Diego  Homen,  1558.     British  Museum,  Add.  MSS.  54I5A,  reprod.  by  Rio 
Branco,  loc.  cit.,  No.  n.  Diego  Homen;  1568,  ibid.  No.  17";  Atlas  of  Bartolome 
Olives,  Vatican,  Codex  Urbinas,  283;  ibid.  No.  15. 

2  It  is  a  very  interesting  fact  that  names  of  Indian  chiefs  and  of  rivers  are 
often    identical,    as    f.    i.,    Baratu-baro,    Juan-ico,    Tari-pari,    or    Turi-pari, 
and  so  on. 

3Oviedo,  II,  p.  216. 

4  Originally,  "  1536!  "     See  the  emendation  on  the  accompanying  photograph 
of  this  map. 


NO.  4  THE    ORDAZ   AND   DORTAL    EXPEDITIONS SCHULLER  13 

go|njcalo  pk;arro  q[ua]n|do]  descubrio  la  canela1  y  muriero[n| 
de  ha[m]bre  la  mayor  p[ar]te  de  los  q[ue]  co[n]  el  fuero[n]  " 
("In  the  year  1546  [instead  of  1542]  Orellana  sailed  down  this 
river2  over  1,000  leagues,  and  went  to  Spain;  and  having  been 
appointed  governor  he  returned  to  this  river,  where  he,  with  all  his 
companions,  almost  perished  in  sailing  up  the  river,  which  in  great 
part  is  marshy  ;  and  he  had  started  from  Peru  with  Gonzalo  Pizarro, 
when  the  latter  discovered  the  province  of  cinnamon ;  and  most  of 
those  who  went  with  him  died  of  hunger  "). 

Gonzalo  Pizarro  left  Quito  at  the  close  of  February,  1541,  for  the 
"  pais  de  la  canela."  :  On  February  2,  1542,  Orellana  and  his  com 
panions  reached  the  Curaray,  an  affluent  of  the  River  Napo,  and  on 
Sunday,  February  n,  began  the  voyage  down  the  river  at  present 
called  "  de  las  Amazonas." 

The  latest  geographical  datum  in  the  anonymous  map  is  the  legend 
on  the  coast  of  the  present  Brazilian  Guyana,  which  briefly  relates 
the  fate  of  the  Portuguese  colonizing  expedition  led  by  Luis  de  Mello 
in  1554:  "  Ano  (  !)  de  1554.  dia  de  S.  Martin.4  Se  perdio.  en  esta 
costa  al  est.  ala  boca  del  maranon.  Luis  de  Mello.  portugues  co[n]. 
600.  ho[mlbres  q[ue]  lleuaua  en.  6.  naujos  sin  torm[ent]a  sino  q[ue] 
surgiero[n]  a  la  noche  en.  7.  bragas.  y  de  noche  baxo  el  agua  y  q[ue]- 
daro[n]*en  seco  "  ("  In  the  year  1554,  on  St.  Martin's  day,  Luiz  de 
Mello,  a  Portuguese,  was  lost  on  this  coast,  westward  of  the  mouth 
of  the  Maranon,  and  with  him  600  men  in  six  vessels ;  [they  were 
lost]  not  in  a  gale,  but  on  account  of  anchoring  at  night  in  seven 
*  bragas  '  (each  of  2.20  m.  of  water),  which  on  the  following  night 
ebbed,  leaving  them  on  dry  land  ").5 

1 "  El  Pais  de  la  Canela."  For  D.  Marcos  Jimenez  de  la  Espada ;  in  "  El 
Centenario."  Revista  Ilustrada,  etc.  T.  III.  Madrid,  1892,  pp.  437-457 
(illustr.). 

2  Carbaxal,  op.  cit.,  p.  55,  ".  .  .  .  y  nos  dijo  como  entre  ellos  habian  dos 
mujeres  blancas,  y  que  otros  tenian  indias  y  hijos  en  ellas  :  estos  son  los  que 
se  perdieron  de  Diego  de  Ordas  .  .  .  ."     ("And  told  us  that  there  were  two 
white   women   among   them    (Indians)  ;    and   that   others    (Spaniards)    have 
Indian  women  and  children  with  them.     They  are  those  who  were  lost  on 
the  Ordaz  expedition")  ;    cf.  Castellanos,  1.  c.,  where  he  relates  the  shipwreck 
of  J.  Cornejo. 

3  Another  version  of  the  "  El-Dorado." 

4  Probably  November  n. 

5  For  further  details,  see  F.  A.  de  Varnhagen  (Vizconde  de  Porto  Seguro), 
"  Historia  Geral  do  Brasil."     Second  ed.   (Wien,  s.  d.),  tomo  I,  p.  261;  and 
cf.    also    "  Tractado    Historico,"    etc.,    by    Gabriel    Soares    de    Souza,    whose 
account,  in  part,  differs  from  that  of  the  former. 


14  SMITHSONIAN    MISCELLANEOUS    COLLECTIONS  VOL.    66 

Interesting  observations  on  the  topography  of  the  coast  northward 
of  the  mouth  of  the  Amazon,  or  Maranon,  are  contained  in  the  legend 
placed  on  the  coast  of  the  "  tierra  de  paragotos  *  amigos  de  Arua- 
cas  " : 2  "  toda  esta  costa  hasta  la  ysla  dela  trinjdad  como  corre  es 
baxos  de  arena  y  lama,  y  anegadi  zos.  20  leguas  la  tierra  adetro.  q[ue] 
no  ay  puerto 3  p[ar]a  nauio  grande.  ni  au[n]  p[ar]a  verga[n]tin 
sino  co[n]  gra[n]  difficultad  "  ("  Along  this  coast  as  far  as  the  island 
of  Trinidad,  there  are  shallows  of  sand  and  mud,  and  swamps, 
extending  over  twenty  leagues  inland;  there  are  no  seaports  for 
large  vessels,  and  even  small  ones  can  enter  only  with  great  diffi 
culty")- 

"  Guyana,  ay  oro  guanj  "  ("  Guyane.  There  is  gold  guani  [low 
carat]  "),  reads  a  legend  placed  in  the  valley  formed  by  two  short 
chains  of  mountains  situated  between  the  rivers  Cuyramo  and  Caroni, 
two  southern  tributaries  of  the  Orinoco. 

About  four  degrees  north  a  long  chain  of  mountains  runs  from  the 
Orinoco  uninterrupted,  in  a  southeasterly  direction  across  the  inte 
rior,  almost  to  the  northern  mouth  of  the  Amazon. 

The  region  where  on  other  maps  is  generally  shown  the  legendary 
lake  of  Manoa,  is  here  occupied  by  the  following  inscription : 

"  esta  sierra  viene  del  reyno  y  del  peru  es  alia  en  el  peru  rica  de 
plata  en  el  reyno  de  oro.  y  por  aqui  esta  lo  q[ue]  dice[n]  el  dorado  " 
("  This  chain  of  mountains  extends  from  the  kingdom  [of  New 
Granada]  and  from  Peru;  in  Peru  it  is  rich  in  silver;  and  in  the 
kingdom  it  is  rich  in  gold ;  and  this  is  what  they  call  El-Dorado  "). 

This  strange  geographical  conception,  a  result  of  the  influence  of 
the  Indian  legend  on  early  American  cartography,  prevails  on  most 
maps  made  in  the  second  half  of  the  sixteenth  century.4 


1  Oto  is  the  typical  termination  of  Carib  clan-names ;  cf .  Cumanag-oto ; 
Puruc-oto  and  many  others. 

'  "  Arruans,"  as  quoted  by  Goeldi,  is  incorrect ;  cf .  "  Memorias  do  Museu 
Paraense  de  Historia  Nat.  e  Ethnographia."  I.  "  Escavagoes  archeologicas  em 
1895."  [Para]  1900,  p.  34,  2d  ed.,  Para,  1905,  1.  c. 

Goeldi  is  a  genuine  representative  of  the  Tupi-mania. 

3  Therefore  the  stereotyped  observations  of  "  anegadizos  "  "  no  visto  "  "  visto 
de  lexos  "  on  the  early  American  maps. 

4  And  even  on  several  original  charts  of  the  seventeenth  century,  as  on  those 
made  by  the  brothers  Joao  and  Pedro  Teixeira.    The  most  interesting  graphic 
representation   of    El-Dorado   appears   on   a  manuscript  chart   of  the   lower 
course  of  the  Amazon  River,  drawn  by  one  of  the  Teixeira,  about  1625  to 
1630.     The  photographs  in  original  size  of  that  as  yet  unpublished  chart  are 
preserved  in  the  Schuller  Collection  at  the  Library  of  Congress,  Washington. 
Neither   of   the   modern  bibliographers    furnishes   exact   data   on   these  two 
Portuguese  cartographers. 


NO.  4  THE    ORDAZ   AND    DORTAL    EXPEDITIONS SCHULLER  15 

Finally,  there  is  a  legend  concerning  early  communication  between 
the  Amazon  and  Esequibo  rivers,  probably  by  the  headwaters  of  the 
latter  and  those  of  the  Rio  Branco,  an  affluent  of  the  Rio  Negro: 
"  Yayua  caciq[ue]  Aruaca  Ano.  1553,  subio  por  el  rio  de  es[e]quibo 
arriba  co[n]  4.  piraguas,  y  las  passo  a  cues  tas  la  sierra  y  dio  a  la 
otra  v[er]tie[n]te  en  otro  Rio  y  por  el  fue  a  dar  en  el  rio  gra[n]de 
de  las  amazonas.  y  hallo  ta[n]ta  ge[n]te  q[ue]  se  bolujo  "  ("  Yayua, 
Aruaque  chief,  in  the  year  1553  went  up  the  Esequibo  with  four 
piragua,1  and  carried  them  over  the  mountains ;  and  on  the  other 
side  he  reached  another  river,  by  which  he  went  down  to  the  great 
Amazon  ;  and  he  found  [there]  so  many  people,  that  he  returned  "). 

The  geographical  nomenclature,  especially  the  names  of  the  rivers 
between  the  Amazon  and  Orinoco,  differs  materially  from  that  of 
other  maps,  of  the  same  period. 

Starting  from  the  northern  mouth  of  the  "  Amazonas,"  or  Mara 
non,  we  find  there  the  following  rivers  :  R.  [io]  Cureti  (Corrent-ine)  ; 2 
R.  Beruisca  (Berbisce?)  ;  R.  Magnay  ....  (  ?)  ;  R.  Mirari ;  R. 
Capaname;  R.  duce  (!)  (Esequibo);  R.  Baruma,  cacique  cagu- 
rama)  ; 3  R.  Monica,  cacique  gumapSyma  y  Aruare  cacique ;  R. 
Guaynj  (Wa-ini,  We-ene),  cacique  Jeraya  coyma;  R.  Guayanepe; 
and  R.  Barimea  (Bari-ma),  cacique  orejon  (=long  ear). 

The  Aruaque  there  occupy  the  shores,  and  the  interior  of  the 
country  is  inhabited  by  the  Carib(es).  The  line  traced  from  the 
mouth  of  the  river  Barima  to  the  Berbisce  seems  to  indicate  the 
border  of  their  respective  habitats. 

So  many  details  on  a  relatively  early  map  strengthen  the  belief 
that  the  anonymous  author  must  have  had  before  him  original  infor 
mation,  probably  obtained  from  one  of  the  El-Dorado  expeditions,4 
undertaken  in  the  second  half  of  the  sixteenth  century. 


1  Canoa  and  piragua  are  two  genuine  Carib-aruaque  words,  notwithstand 
ing  all  said  against  this  view  by  Professor  Leo  Wiener,  of  Harvard  University. 

2  Ine,  ene,  in  Aruaque,  "  water,"  "  river  " ;    papam-ene  is  the  Aruaque  name 
for  the  Amazonas.     Pinzon  in   1500  learned  the  name  "  Maria- (Paria),"  or 
"  Marina- (Parina)-tam-balo    (=palo  =falo  — paro  =faro),  which  seems  to 
be  the  Carib  designation  for  that  river. 

The  origin  of  the  name  Maranon  from  the  Portuguese  Maranhao  is  un 
supported. 

3  On  that  river  probably  was  situated  the  village  of  the  chief  mentioned 
above. 

4  Archive    General   de    Indias,    Sevilla;    139-1-2,    Tomo    III0:     "  De   oficio. 
Rio  Maranon — Desde  20  de  Maio  de  1530  hasta  21  de  Febrero  de  1539";  and 
especially:    139-1-1,  Tomo  i°  and  Tomo  11°;   cf.  also  the  pen  sketch  map,  of 
about  1550,  145-7-7.    Ramo  5. 


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